Timepiece automatic regulator



United States Patent 2,785,529 TIMEPIECE AUTOMATIC REGULATOR Hans Haerri, Les Bioux, Switzerland, assignor to Benrus Watch Co. Inc., La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, a firm of Switzerland Application October 22, 1954, Serial No. 464,132 7 Claims. (Cl. 53-109) My invention has for its object a time-piece including means for automatically adjusting the regulating lever when setting the time-piece right. According to my invention, I provide a winding-up stem adapted to occupy selectively three operative positions, to wit a winding up position, a time-setting position and a third position for which the time may be set right in a manner such as will adjust the regulating lever. This is provided by two levers one end of one of which is operatively connected with the regulating lever while its other end carries teeth, the second lever pivotally secured to the first lever is controlled by the winding up stem; the arrangement is such that when the stem is brought into its third operative position, the teeth on the first lever mesh with the cannon pinion so as to make the latter shift the regulating lever.

I have illustrated in accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment of a time-piece according to my invention. In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a time-piece seen from its dial side, after removal of all but a fragment of the dial.

Fig. 2 is a partly cross-sectional side view of Fig. 1 through line IIII thereof.

As illustrated, the time-piece includes a winding up stem 1 controlling the conventional pusher member 2 carrying a stud 3 cooperating with a spring blade 4; the said spring blade is provided with three recesses 5, 6 and 7 adapted to be engaged selectively by the stud 3 when the winding up stem is shifted longitudinally. Engagement of the stud by the notch 5 allows winding up the time-piece, by the notch 6 ordinary time-setting and by the notch 7 time-setting associated with automatic adjustment of the regulating lever.

The center wheel or driving Wheel is shown at 8, the cannon pinion at 9 and the regulating lever at 10, the tail piece 11 of said regulating lever carrying a pin 12 passing vertically throughout the timepiece. A lever 13 is provided at one end with a toothed sector 14 and at its other end with a slot 15 inside which the pin 12 is adapted to slide. Said lever 13 is pivotally secured at 16 to a second lever 17 which in its turn is pivotally secured at 18 to a screw fitted in the case of the time piece, the lever 17 being adapted to move in a plane parallel to the general plane of the timepiece. The outer end 19 of the lever 17 forms a sloping surface engaged by the stud 3 on the pusher member; a return spring 17a urges the lever 17 towards the stud 3. As shown, the levers 17 and 13 are arranged on the dial side of the timepiece to move in planes parallel to the general plane of the timepiece, and the regulating lever is arranged on the opposite side of the timepiece to move in a plane parallel to the general plane of the timepiece.

When the winding up stem 1 is shifted to the illustrated position, the lever 17 moves the toothed sector 14 of the lever 13 radially with respect to the cannon pinion 9 into meshing relation with said pinion. In the position illustrated, the stud 3 engaging the notch 7,

the pusher member and the winding up stem are in the position allowing the setting right of the time-piece with an automatic adjustment of the position of the regulating lever. The lever 17 holds, in this case, the toothed sector 14 of the lever 13 in mesh with the cannon pinion 9. When the latter is shifted so as to set the time right, it causes the lever 13 to rock and thus to alter the position of the regulating lever whereby the future operation of the time-piece is adjusted.

The movements of the regulating lever are limited by reason of the pin 12 being guided inside the groove 20 formed in the case; the peripheral length of the toothed sector 14 corresponds to the maximum allowed movement of the regulating lever so that said sector cannot be angularly shifted to a further extent when the cannon pinion is moved beyond a predetermined angular position. The lever 13, by means of the pin 12 and slot 15, is slidably connected to the tail piece 11 of the regulating lever whereby movement of the lever 13 into and out of meshing relation with the cannon pinion 9 does not affect the movement of the regulating means.

When the Winding up stem is returned into the position corresponding to conventional time-setting, with the stud 3 engaging the notch 5 or into the position corresponding to winding up with the stud 3 engaging the notch 5, said stud 3 on the pusher member acts on the sloping surface 19 of the lever 17 so as to shift the toothed sector away from the cannon pinion.

What I claim is:

1. In a time-piece, a system for automatically adjusting the regulating device of the time-piece in the operation of setting aright the time-piece comprising, in combination, a stem movable to occupy selectively two time setting positions, namely, a normal time setting position and a regulating time setting position, a pinion operatively associated with the time-piece hands in the setting of the same, a regulating device for the balance wheel, means connnected to the regulating device for adjusting the same, said means comprising a member having a toothed section movable radially of said pinion into and out of meshing relation with said pinion, said means when in meshing relation acting to adjust the regulating device when the pinion is rotated for time setting, and mechanism arranged between the stem and said means and operatively connecting said stem with said means, said mechanism being movable by the movement of the stem to move said means into its pinion meshing relation in the second-mentioned position of the stem and out of meshing relation in the first-mentioned position of the stem.

2. In a time-piece, a system for automatically adjusting the regulating device of the time-piece in the operation of setting aright the timepiece comprising, in combination, a winding up stem movable to occupy selectively three operative positions, namely, first a winding up position, second a normal time setting position and third at regulating time setting position, a pinion operatively associated with the time-piece hands in the setting of the same, a regulating device for the balance wheel, means connected to the regulating device for adjusting the same, said means comprising a member having a toothed sector extending over an arc of small length movable radially of said pinion into and out of meshing relation with said pinion, said means when in meshing relation acting to adjust the regulating device when the pinion is rotated for time setting, and mechanism arranged between the stem and said means and operatively connecting said stem with said means, said mechanism being movable by the movement of the stem to move said means into its pinion meshing relation in the third postion of the stem and out of meshing relation in the other positions of the stem.

3. In a timepiece, a system for automatically adjusting the regulating device of the timepiece in the opera tion of setting aright the timepiece comprising, in combination, a stem movable to occupy selectively two time setting positions, namely, a normal time settingposition and a regulating time setting position, a pinion operatively associated with the time-piece hands in the setting of the same, a regulating device for the balance wheel, means connected to the regulating device for adjusting the same, said means being movable into and out of meshing relation with said pinion and said means being slidably connected to the regulating device whereby movement of said means into and out of meshing relation does not affect the movement of said regulating means, said means when in meshing relation acting to adjust the regulating device when the pinion is rotatetd for time setting, and mechanism arranged between the stem and said means and operatively connecting said stem with said means, said mechanism being movable by the movement of the stem to move said means into its pinion meshing relation in the second-mentioned position of the stem and out of meshing relation in the first-mentioned position of the stem.

4. In a timepiece, a system for automatically adjusting the regulating device of the timepiece in the operation of setting aright the timepiece comprising, in combination, a stem movable to occupy selectively two time setting positions, namely, a normal time setting posimeshing with said pinion.

tion and a regulating time setting position, a pinion operatively associated with the timepiece hands in the setting of the same, a regulating device for the balance Wheel, means connected to the regulating device for adjusting the same, said means being movable into and out of meshing relation with said pinion, said means when in meshing relation acting to adjust the regulating device when t the pinion is rotated for time setting, and mechanism arranged between the stem and said means and operatively connecting said stem with said means, said mechanism being movable by the movement of the stem to move said means into its pinion meshing relation in the second mentioned position of the stem and out of meshing relation in the first-mentioned position of the stem, said mechanism comprising a first lever one arm of which is operated by movement of the stem, and said means comprising a second lever pivoted on the other arm of said 5. In a timepiece, a system for automatically adjusting the regulating device of the timepiece in the operation of setting aright the timepiece comprising, in combination, a winding up stem movable to occupy selectively three positions, namely, first a winding up position, second a normal time setting position and third a regulating time setting position, a pinion operatively associated with the ti-meipece hands in the setting of the same, a regulating device for the balance wheel, means connected to the regulating device for adjusting the same,

said means being movable into and out of meshing relation with said pinion, said means when in meshing relation acting to adjust the regulating device when the pinion is rotated for time setting, and mechanism arranged between the stem and said means and operatively connecting said stem with said means, said mechanism being movable by the movement of the stem to move said means into its pinion meshing relation in the third position of the stem and out of meshing relation in the other positions of the stem, said mechanism comprising a first lever one arm of which is operated by movement of the stem, and said means comprising a second lever pivoted on the other arm of said first lever, one arm of the second lever being provided with a toothed sector for meshing with said pinion and the other arm of said second lever being slidably connected with said regulating device.

6. The system of claim 4 for automatically adjusting the regulating device of a timepiece in which the said levers are arranged to move in planes parallel to the general plane of the timepiece.

7. The system of claim 5 for automatically adjusting the regulating device of a timepiece in which the said first and second levers are arranged on the dial side of the timepiece to move in planes parallel to the general plane of the timepiece and the regulating device is arranged on the opposite side of the timepiece to move in a plane parallel to the general plane of the timepiece.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 721,361 Engwall Feb. 24, 1903 eir 

